Value funds have not done too well in the recent past. Among diversified equity fund categories, only the more volatile categories like mid-cap and small-cap funds have done worse than them over the past year. However, when you view their returns over the very long term, say, 10 years, these funds have done quite well. Experts say the current underperformance may be partly attributed to market cycles. There are certain phases in the market when growth stocks do well and others in which value stocks (and hence funds based on them) outperform. Don’t get deterred by the poor run of